Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.F. Blake

Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.F. Blake. Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark or paper bark tea tree in Australia, niaouli in New Caledonia and punk tree in the United States, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It grows as a spreading tree up to 20 m (70 ft) tall, with its trunk covered by a white, beige and grey thick papery bark. The grey-green leaves are egg-shaped, and cream or white bottlebrush-like flowers appear from late spring to autumn. It was first formally described in 1797 by the Spanish naturalist Antonio José Cavanilles.